So Detective Mamma has a new enemy: ticks. Sigh. As for fleas: they’re luckily very rare in Finland, so it’s unlikely my girls will catch them.

I sometimes catch those bastards earlier, sometimes later… this fat tick was on the bathroom floor, so Tessa was apparently hosting a guest for several days. Eek. I was a bit naive, I didn’t think of ticks when we started to go out. That’s probably why I didn’t see this one before it was on the floor.

It’d been better if Kajsa was the one who likes to go out, because it’s difficult to spot ticks in Tessa’s fur. Tessa is also really picky about her belly. I manage to search for ticks with my hands, but it’d been easier if I could use my eyes as well.

I’m a newbie to ticks, but so far, the best tool for removing ticks was a lice comb. Ticks are often crawling for 2-3 hours in their search for the perfect spot – I’ve been combing them out before they bite.

I know, there’re several methods to prevent ticks,

but I don’t want to put any poison on her fur. That being said, I haven’t completely made up my mind yet. I’m currently searching for alternatives, but nothing has so far convinced me. I’ve difficulties to believe that those electronic ultrasound devices work.

What I find most disgusting is that cats sometimes remove ticks themselves. We all know how often cats groom themselves, so it’s no wonder that they can catch ticks before they bite.

I don’t want them to leave ticks on my bed. Eek. So far, I haven’t had a tick this year, so I hope the population on my bed remains zero.

I don’t want them to eat ticks. Hm. Kind of depends how Borrelia is transmitted. If it’s safe to eat ticks, I’d be thrilled if they ate them.

What tick prevention (if any) do you use?

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14 Comments

We’ve never had ticks (they aren’t a problem where we live) but we know they can transfer serious diseases to humans (lyme disease) so be careful! Maybe ask your vet if there is a holistic preventative treatment available. Hopefully it won’t be too much of a problem!

It’s not as bad here as in other parts of the world (and Finland, the South-West is worst), but ticks are quite common here. You’re right, there’re serious diseases, but most of them, including lyme disease, are only transmitted after 12-24 hours. So the trick is to remove the ticks as early as possible, and to carefully watch the sore.

We’ll be soon travelling for several weeks (I’ll write a seperate post, too long too explain), and they won’t get any ticks over there. It doesn’t make any sense to give them preventing drugs now, so I’ve several weeks to search for alternatives.

Angel Loupi and Angel Céleste had anti-thicks/anti-fleas spot on as they could go outside as they wanted, but now that we go out in our fence only, Mum just checks our fur but doesn’t apply any poison on it. Purrs

Thank you for sharing your experiences! If they’d go out as they please, I’d use drugs as well, because they’d probably live outside during summer. Since they’re only going out with me, I’ve a good chance to catch ticks very early.

To be the mouse or the cat

One human, two cats and “Not-Me” living in the suburbs of Helsinki. Which one of us can only play when the other one’s away? I think the human is the cat and my cats are the mice. I’ll explain why as soon as I get this butt off my face.

I suffer from depression and anxiety disorder, and I also write about the impact of cats on mental health.

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